A LIVING COMMUNION WITH CHRIST
Pastor Dawn Marie Berry, Washington
JOHN 15:1-7 I am the true vine, and my Father is
the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not
fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,
that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide
in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide
not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye
bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
2. ABIDING IS
LIVING IN, SETTLING DOWN, DWELLING IN.
IT IS NOT, COMING IN AND GOING OUT.
ABIDING IS A LIVING COMMUNION.
JESUS IS THE
VINE WE ARE THE BRANCHES
¨ IF YOU SEPARATE THE BRANCH FROM THE VINE, YOU BREAK THE UNION.
¨ YOU CAN LAY THE BRANCH NEXT TO THE VINE, BUT IF IT IS NOT ONE
WITH THE VINE, THE LIFE WON’T FLOW INTO THAT BRANCH TO MAKE IT PRODUCE FRUIT.
FRUIT
APPEARS ON BRANCHES
JAMES 5:7-8 Be patient therefore,
brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also
patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the
Lord draweth nigh.
AMP. SAYS, SO BE PATIENT, BRETHREN [AS YOU WAIT] TILL THE COMING OF THE
LORD. SEE HOW THE FARMER WAITS EXPECTANTLY FOR THE PRECIOUS HARVEST FROM
THE LAND. [SEE HOW] HE KEEPS UP HIS
PATIENT [VIGIL] OVER IT UNTIL IT RECEIVES THE EARLY AND LATE RAINS.
MANY
BELIEVERS DON’T BEAR FRUIT.
§
THEY GET BORN AGAIN, BUT
DO NOT ABIDE IN HIM.
§
THERE IS NO LIVING
COMMUNION, NO LIFE FLOW.
§
THEIR SPIRITUAL LIVES
WITHER AND THEY BECOME SUBJECTS TO THE DEVIL, SUBJECT TO THE ENEMY. THEY DO NOT LIVE LIKE ‘SPIRITUAL MEN’, BUT
LIKE NATURAL MEN.
WE ARE BORN
AGAIN TO BE HIS SPECIAL POSSESSION IN THE EARTH, A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DO
ANYTHING HE TELLS THEM TO DO, WHO WILL BE OBEDIENT.
THEN HE
WILL GET HIS PLAN FINISHED AND THE EARTH WILL BE FULL OF HIS GLORY.
ALL WE HAVE
TO DO TO KEEP UNION IS TO PUT HIM FIRST AND KEEP OUR MINDS STAYED ON HIM.
Ř IN UNION AND LOVE, YOU WILL HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE.
Ř OUR ONLY RESPONSIBILITY IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNION.
Ř HOW DO WE DO THIS? BY HIS SPIRIT.
JESUS EXPECTED HIS SPIRIT TO COME AND LIVE IN US AND COMMUNICATE
HIS WORDS TO OUR SPIRITS.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN US,
IS TO BRING ABOUT THAT CONTINUAL LIVING COMMUNION WITH JESUS.
JOHN 14:26 AMP BUT THE COMFORTER
[COUNSELOR, HELPER, INTERCESSOR, ADVOCATE, STRENGTHENER, STANDBY] THE HOLY
SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME [IN MY PLACE, TO REPRESENT ME AND
ACT ON MY BEHALF], HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS. AND HE WILL CAUSE YOU TO RECALL-WILL REMIND
YOU OF, BRING TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE- EVERYTHING I HAVE TOLD YOU.
JOHN 16:7 AMP HOWEVER, I AM TELLING
YOU NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH WHEN I SAY, IT IS PROFITABLE [GOOD, EXPEDIENT,
ADVANTAGEOUS] FOR YOU THAT I GO AWAY. BECAUSE IF I DO NOT GO AWAY, THE COMFORTER [COUNSELOR, HELPER,
ADVOCATE, INTERCESSOR, STRENGTHENER, STANDBY] WILL NOT COME TO YOU, INTO CLOSE
FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU. BUT IF I GO
AWAY, I WILL SEND HIM TO YOU, TO BE IN CLOSE FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU...
JOHN 16:13-15 Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the
Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of
mine, and shall shew it unto you.
V.15 AMP: EVERYTHING
THAT THE FATHER HAS IS MINE. THAT IS
WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID THE HE WILL TAKE THE THINGS THAT ARE MINE AND WILL
REVEAL [DECLARE, DISCLOSE, TRANSMIT] THEM TO YOU.
LET’S LOOK
AT THE ANOINTING:
I JOHN 2:27,28 But the anointing which ye have received of
him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man
teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of
all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as IT [THE ANOINTING] hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And
now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have
confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THAT AS THIS ANOINTING TEACHES US, AS WE
OBEY...WE ABIDE IN HIM.
ABIDING IS OBEYING.
IF WE DO NOT ABIDE IN HIM AND WALK IN HIM, THE
SPIRIT OF GOD IS HINDERED IN ACCOMPLISHING WHAT HE HAS BEEN SENT TO DO.
PHILIPPIANS
2:12-16
12: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13: For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure.
14: Do
all things without murmurings and disputings:
15: That
ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16:
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
[PRODUCING FRUIT]
...WORK
OUT, CULTIVATE, CARRY OUT TO THE GOAL AND FULLY COMPLETE, YOUR OWN
SALVATION...[NOT IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH] FOR IT IS GOD WHO IS ALL THE WHILE
EFFECTUAL AT WORK IN YOU, ENERGIZING AND CREATING IN YOU THE POWER AND DESIRE,
BOTH TO WILL AND TO WORK FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION AND
DELIGHT.
“THE NETWORK” PAGE 1900 [THE WORD IN LIFE STUDY BIBLE]
COMPUTER NETWORKS HAVE BECOME IMPORTANT
SYSTEMS IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE.
THEY ENABLE TEAMS OF WORKERS IN DIFFERENT OFFICES, AT REGIONAL SITES,
AND EVEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO JOIN TOGETHER ON TASKS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE
BE DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
ONE WAY OF SETTING A NETWORK IS TO USE A
CENTRAL COMPUTER TO HANDLE THE MAIN PROGRAMMING, STORAGE, AND COMMUNICATION
FUNCTIONS, WITH REMOTE WORKSTATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL INPUT AND RETRIEVAL. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE SITUATION THAT JESUS DESCRIBED
IN HIS IMAGE OF THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES [JOHN 15:1-10]
1. JESUS IS THE KEY
[15:1] LIKE THE
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM, JESUS PROVIDES
THE LIFE, THE DIRECTION, AND THE COMMANDS FOR HIS FOLLOWERS, THOSE OF US
‘ON-LINE.’
2. TO
BE EFFECTIVE, BELIEVERS MUST MAINTAIN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS [15:4] IN ORDER TO USE THE
FEATURES OF A NETWORK, A USER MUST REMAIN ATTACHED TO THE NETWORK. IF ONE ‘SIGNS OFF,’ THERE IS NO MORE ACCESS
TO THE CENTRAL COMPUTER OR TO OTHERS IN THE NETWORK. LIKEWISE, IF WE ALLOW SIN TO DISRUPT OUR WALK
WITH CHRIST, WE LOSE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM AND WITH OTHER BELIEVERS [ I JOHN 1:6,7 ]
3. JESUS WANTS HIS FOLLOWERS TO
BE PRODUCTIVE [JOHN 15:5-8] COMPANIES INSTALL COMPUTER NETWORKS SO
THAT THEIR EMPLOYEES CAN GET THEIR WORK DONE.
THE SYSTEMS COST TOO MUCH TO BE TREATED AS TOYS OR TO BE UNDERUTILIZED. CORRESPONDINGLY, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT
BELIEVERS HAVE WITH GOD WAS PURCHASED THROUGH CHRIST’S BLOOD, SO WE NEED TO
TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. CHRIST WANTS US TO ENJOY
WALKING WITH HIM, BUT HE ALSO WANTS US TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES.
4. TO LOVE JESUS IS TO FOLLOW
HIS COMMANDS [15:9,10]
OCCASIONALLY NETWORK USERS RECEIVE AN ‘ERROR MESSAGE’ INDICATING THAT
THEY HAVE NOT FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTION OF THE PROGRAM CORRECTLY. BY THE SAME TOKEN, JESUS HAS GIVEN
US COMMANDS TO FOLLOW, AND THE ONLY WAY TO EXPERIENCE HIS LIFE AND POWER IS TO
OBEY THOSE COMMANDS. TO DO SO IS NOT
ONLY PRACTICAL, BUT AN EXPRESSION OF OUR LOVE FOR THE LORD.
¨ ARE YOU “ON-LINE” WITH JESUS?
¨ DRAWING ON HIS RESOURCES AND OBEYING HIS COMMANDS?
¨ IS YOUR LIFE PRODUCTIVE?
¨ ARE YOU ACCOMPLISHING THE TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT HE
HAS ASSIGNED TO YOU?
Editors Note: This is a page of Pastor Dawn’s Teaching Notes from her television program. You can watch “Dawn’s Day” each week on KLTV – Channel eleven – Cowlitz County; or contact us for a list of
video’s available. You will find pastor Dawn Marie to be a dynamite Word-Teacher,
filled with the love and compassion of God. God bless you as you look into
God’s Word, and grow in Him.
